Education

  • Experiencing Ignite’s Young Women Leadership Conference

    March 18, 2016 /

    During my time with Ms. McElhaney, I spoke to her about some of the problems Merced is facing, particularly the fact that south Merced has not been represented in our City Council. I also attended three workshops and attended a great panel on how to succeed in politics. I learned crucial tips on how to go against the ‘norms’ in society and still be successful.

    Ignite  Ignite Young Women's Political Leadership Conference  Leadership  Politics  spotlight  Young Women  
  • #Lunches4All: Kids Should Not Go Hungry at School

    March 3, 2016 /

    Last week, I testified at the MCSD Community Forum because I felt I needed to speak up. I wanted to tell the people in charge what their changes are doing to my friends, all the kids at school, and me.

    #Lunches4all  education  free lunches  hunger  kids  schools  spotlight  
  • Young People Reveal Holes in the Foster Care Safety Net

    March 1, 2016 /

    Reforms like AB 12 work toward a better safety net and more stable situations for these youth, notes Brian Blalock, founder and director of Bay Area Legal Aid’s Youth Justice Project, “so they can make decision and make mistakes.” Youth make mistakes as a natural part of growing up, but for many youth in the system, Blalock says, a mistake is a luxury they can’t afford.

    AB 12  foster care  foster care youth  reform  spotlight  
  • Black Lives Matter and the Freddie Gray Effect

    February 23, 2016 /

    This is why many people know hundreds of Freddie Grays, as his family’s attorney exclaimed at the funeral. And this is why there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of Freddie Grays in America – young Black men who grew up in poverty, who attended low performing schools, who lived in contaminated communities, and who now have a hard time finding employment, have had run-ins with the criminal justice system, and are harassed by law enforcement.

    baltimore  black lives matter  death by cop  Freddie Gray  injustice  learning disability  police brutality  poverty  spotlight  
  • We’Ced Weighs In: Reflections on the Desert Vista High School Incident

    January 30, 2016 /

    Over the weekend, a photo of six smiling Desert Vista High School students dressed in black shirts emblazoned with gold letters as they arranged to spell a racial slur, surfaced on the internet. The viral image sparked nationwide headlines and responses on social media. We’Ced reporters discussed the incident and the aftermath. Below are their reflections.

    Arizona  Desert Vista High  high school  racism  spotlight  
  • Get DACA, Pursue Your Dream Job

    January 26, 2016 /

    In order to enroll in the liberal studies program at her college, Meza needed a social security number, something she did not have because she was undocumented. To work with children, she had to pass a background check and get her fingerprints scanned. Knowing she could do neither, she feared she would not be able to graduate.

    college  college student  DACAmented  Deferred Action  Dream Act  Dreamer. DACA  education  immigration  spotlight